Alex Zubryn: The urban experience people, nature and place

Research Background - The questions posed in the exhibition's thematic content are: how do I identify with urban life in relation to nature, how can a narrative and the visual co-existence between urban life and nature unfold, how can contemporary painting be formed as a document and relate to historical representations of the Australian landscape and, in what ways can migration be represented in relation to urban life, nature and ephemera? Research Contribution - This survey exhibition comprises paintings and drawings made over a 13 year period as well as five new significant paintings. This creative research juxtaposes symbols of nature, found objects, and characterisations of people that have been reinterpreted to create original artworks. Between the years 2010-2013 I have traveled to major museums in Europe and America. The "Festival" picture contributes a new, locally specific perspective upon the history of ceremonial representations, building upon the lineage of two international paintings: James Ensor's "Christ's Entry into Brussels" (1888) at the Getty Museum Los Angeles, and Vittore Carpaccio's "The legend of St Ursula" (1490-96) in Venice. Research Significance - The director of the Deakin University Art Gallery, Leanne Willis curated this exhibition which was opened by Linda Lucas, senior program manager, programing and innovation Arts Victoria. The Deakin University catalogue ISBN 978-0-9872954-5-3 includes two essays, the first by Olga Pavlinova Olenich who appears regularly in local and international publications and Dr Robert Haysom, an associate professor of visual arts at Deakin University who has published numerous articles and publications. I presented a floor talk to 50 people on 18/9/2013 and 150 people attended the opening. After the exhibition my painting titled "Urban Nature 2" was made part of the Deakin University Art Collection.